Squealing with Shock…

Because at this moment in time I can do little more than ‘squeal with shock’ I thought I should provide a link to Dan Smith’s brilliant post on the US Election results and the importance of facts (rather than feelings), dialogue (rather than diatribe) and tolerance (rather than intolerance).

The US Election results will have a significant impact on our field of interest (global security, peacebuilding, development and justice). The Diplomat refers to ‘unchartered geopolitical waters’ and possibly the ‘end of the postwar order’, while New York Times suggests ‘a world that could be on the verge of losing one of its longest-standing pillars of stability’ as a result of the inability to predict Tump’s moves or the response of other states to them on the global stage. TIMEspeaks of Trump being ‘an existential threat to America and the world’, while The Economist warns the world to ‘watch out’ for the consequences of a man who won the elections whose campaign was racist and xenophobic and who ‘advocated using torture [and] nuclear bombs’. The BBC also reports on the fallout and news media coverage around the world, which reflects widespread shock and repeatedly refers to the ‘political earthquake’ that has hit the US and the world.

Given the risks that now present themselves, geopolitically (prospective US foreign policy and the impact on international power relations) as well as ideologically (potentially encouraging further populist movements and bigotry) there is now more need than ever to work in the service of security and justice for those who are the most vulnerable to insecurity and injustice. As Dan Smith’s post highlights, now more than ever is there a need to adhere to the values of tolerance, dialogue and truth with the aim of promoting peace, prosperity and development, not least the protection of the environment and action on climate change.

One thought on “Squealing with Shock…”

Thank you so much for sharing this, Eleanor. Mr Smith’s blog post was beautifully written and I found comfort in simply being reminded that the international community is out there, aware of the situation, and asking that cooler heads prevail.

Let us hope “Facts matter. Dialogue works. Tolerance heals”.

Being in America right now, I sense neither side is looking for peace – and the newly elected side’s populace seems particularly intent on asserting its newly gained power. And power is precisely what it is about for them. Hollow or substantive – they are seeking to assert it in the name of negative concepts rather than wield it for positive change. I say this based on myriad conversations, postings, and social media observations. I have never experienced toxicity of this complexity or potency. It is palpable, and it is expressed in vitriol and tears. Sadly, I can say that facts don’t seem to matter. Cooler heads don’t seem to calm matters. And tolerance is in very short supply.

With the Supreme Courts about to be stacked, and Russia’s now blatantly admitted alliance with Trump (which was proclaimed today by Russian sources) , policies touching upon crime, corruption, governance etc could very well change for the worse. Needless to say, I very much fear for the stability of the world in the coming decade.

I only hope other countries are wise enough to prevent Rupert Murdoch’s poisonous messaging from contaminating their electorates with the bombast and hate drummed up, day in and day out , for the better part of 30 years which occurred here and fertilized the ground upon which the Alt-Right found purchase. After all, this is the very same messaging which when left unchecked despite being specifically constructed for the gain of extreme right wing agendas, gained adequate traction in which to legitimize what has now come to pass and what has converted the unacceptable into the seemingly normal.